Outside Source
The 24-year-old Ukrainian on Tuesday put himself in position to compete for an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract, as he dispatched Matt Dixon with first-round punches in “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 33 welterweight semifinals at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The decisive victory thrusts Donchenko into a showdown with Team Cormier stablemate Rodrigo Sezinando in the 170-pound final.
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Dixon was simply outgunned. Donchenko shredded him with standing elbows, one of which tore open a horrendous gash above his right eye. He swarmed Dixon with punches, forced him to retreat to the canvas and connected with at least one illegal hammerfist to the back of the head. The foul resulted in a pause to the action and left Donchenko on the brink of disqualification. Dixon, to his credit, chose to fight on. He connected with his share of punches in an all-out firefight and even dropped Donchenko to a knee at one point, but it was not enough to keep him at bay. The reigning Naiza Fighter Championship titleholder threw and landed in combination, backed Dixon to the fence and buried vicious punches into both sides of his ribcage. From there, the finish became a formality. Dixon wilted, turtled at the base of the cage and absorbed a series of unanswered punches that prompted referee Mark Smith to intervene on his behalf.
“We expected a war,” Daniel Cormier said. “It was a war for as long as it lasted. We just had the better guy.”
Smith could only tip his cap.
“I wanted a fight like this,” he said. “He mixed in some good elbows, caught me clean, and I landed some shots that I know could have put just about anybody else away. Daniel’s a warrior. He deserves to be in the finale.”
It served as something as a coming-out party for Donchenko, who had flown under the radar for much of the season. No more.
“I will be proud of myself today,” he said, “but tomorrow, I will step inside the gym and I will still work hard to smash my opponent in the final. After this fight, I think you can trust me. I will be the next Ultimate Fighter.”
Sezinando, the pre-tournament favorite, awaits him in the welterweight final, which takes place as part of the UFC 319 undercard on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago.
“It’s a great fight between two of the best guys on the show—the two best guys on the show,” Cormier said. “Rodrigo has great grappling and great wrestling. Daniel can wrestle, but his striking is what makes him special.”
UFC CEO Dana White expects a classic clash of styles.
“Rodrigo likes to get down to the ground, get top position and grind it out,” he said. “Daniel is a very dangerous, high-level striker who’s always looking for a violent knockout.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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